AFL 2 years ago

Crows down Giants

ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA - MAY 28: Eddie Betts of the Crows is congratulated by teammates after he kicked a goal in the last quarter of the game during the round 10 AFL match between the Adelaide Crows and the Greater Western Sydney Giants at Adelaide Oval on May 28, 2016 in Adelaide, Australia. (Photo by Morne de Klerk/Getty Images)

Betts' haul included a goal of the year contender in the Crows' 15.17 (107) to 13.7 (85) win at Adelaide Oval.

Walker and Betts ran rampant as the Crows piled on eight goals to one in a match-defining third-quarter blitz as the Giants slipped to their first loss in seven outings.

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Betts kicked three in a 14-minute purple patch, including a remarkable 40m effort - after trapping the ball on his haunches, he rose and tiptoed along the boundary line, delicately keeping the ball in, before launching an audacious snap shot.

Adelaide, now entrenched in the top eight with six wins and four losses, turned a two-point halftime lead into a whopping 46 up at the last change.

The Sydneysiders rallied in the final quarter with five unanswered goals before Betts settled Adelaide's nerve with the sealer two minutes from fulltime.

The mercurial Betts was also damaging drifting into the midfield while young teammates Jarryd Lyons (20 possessions) and Rory Atkins (28 disposals), and veteran Scott Thompson (22 touches) were influential.

And Adelaide's backline was sturdy, led by Daniel Talia who kept Jeremy Cameron to one goal from a free kick, and Kyle Hartigan whose opponent Jonathon Patton was goalless.

The Giants were forced to rely on midfielders for goals - Toby Greene kicked three and fellow onballers Dylan Shiel and Tom Scully booted two each.

Greene, Shiel (29 disposals), Stephen Coniglio (30 touches) and Josh Kelly (29 possessions) were prominent but teammate Adam Kennedy was concussed in the final term ahead of the Giants' challenging dates in the next fortnight with Geelong and Sydney.